What treatment should I try for dry ends?

[mediumhair]

I have had about 4 inches trimmed off my hair routinely for the past 3 months. Now I noticed that even with the trims, my ends are very very dry. What oil or treatment should I use on the ends? And incase most of my hair becomes dry for some odd reason, what oil/conditioner could I use?

[AnitaThorn]

I use two products, one regularly, and one if I need it.

The first is virgin coconut oil. I use this every 5 days on all of my hair except my scalp, paying special attention to the ends.

The second is Avon's Dry Ends Serum http://shop.avon.com/shop/product.aspx?pf_id=29019 It says "dry ends," but you can use it for anywhere on your hair, wherever it needs it. I use it as a spot treatment if I find an area that's especially dry.

I hope this helped!

[Loreley]

I use a simple hair oil which I bought in the local drugstore. It's very cheap but it's good. I tried to put it on my dry hair but it looked terribly greasy from the smallest amount even when I brushed it with a boar bristle brush. I tried to oil my hair after washing when it's still wet. It can do wonders! Just a few drops of oil and my ends are smoother, shinier and easier to comb. :D

[PorcelainHorror]

The only oil I have used so far is olive oil. It makes my ends so soft and happy~

[Katze]

I use Fox's Shea Butter Conditioning Cream religiously. It does help, especially on the ends though I do find my ends get dry very easily too, despite trims, and am not sure why this is...

[Sprigs]

Im another person who would recommend unrefined coconut oil. It has done more for my dry ends than products actually designed for dry hair :)

[cmnt831]

I use a mix of shea butter and olive oil on myself and my husband's hair. It has helped a lot. We both had very dry ends and now they're soft again after a couple weeks of consistent use :cheese:.

[JamieLeigh]

I've used both olive and coconut oil (not at the same time, lol), and both work well for my ends. I have lately preferred the coconut over the olive though, mostly because of the smell and the mess. :)

[Clarisse]

Fabric softener makes my hair super soft :)

[Bunnicula]

After lurking a while on these boards, I decided to try both jojoba and coconut oil. I mix the jojoba with my conditioner and leave it on the ends for a couple minutes, then after the shower, I use coconut oil while it's still damp. I used to have an oily scalp and dry ends, but now my ends are really soft!

[baobhan sith]

I use a cheap cone free conditioner on dry hair, put up and leave for an hour or so, then use a deep conditioner on damp rinsed hair, again put up and leave for hour or so. (I use a turby towel, wilkinson's teatree conditioner, and superdrug henna conditioner)

[hanne jensen]

Clarisse, what brand of fabric softener do you use, and how do you use it?

[ravenreed]

I made a mix of my favorite conditioner and a little castor oil and coconut oil. I watered it down with distilled water. When my ends need it, I wet them and use the mix.

[HairColoredHair]

Mediumhair, personally I'd suggest a conditioner and honey soak periodically! (I love honey! :D )

Also, do you use a lot of protein? Perhaps it's building up and causing the 'dry' feeling?

[Clarisse]

Clarisse, what brand of fabric softener do you use, and how do you use it?

I prefer "Snuggle", that I buy in my local Superbrugsen, because it works best for my hair and because it has a nice smell, but I think that any brand of fabric softener should be able to do the trick. If I have a head ache, I use Neutral instead, because it is scent-free.

I just apply it like I would normally apply conditioner. After shampooing my scalp, I apply fabric softener so that it coats my hair from the ears and down, then rinse it out with water. If I don't rinse it out properply, my scalp gets a bit itchy. It's slightly more tricky than conditioner, because it is fluid and doesn't stick to the hair the way a creamy conditioner does, but it works 100 times better for me :)

[mediumhair]

Thanks I will try coconut oil.

[Sissy]

I use a mix of shea butter and olive oil on myself and my husband's hair. It has helped a lot. We both had very dry ends and now they're soft again after a couple weeks of consistent use :cheese:.

I like that idea! I'm going to try it.

I usually use a moisturizing conditioner then follow up with some oil and let it dry in my hair before washing out. The oil I've been using for this lately is Argan oil from Morocco and it works a treat :) I'm also a big fan of Castor Oil mixed with conditioner. I own coconut oil but haven't used it in a while.

For leave-in oils I like Camellia and Nightblooming's (Nightshade's) on etsy's Triple Moon Hair Oil.

Also, I've been doing catnip tea treatment soaks lately and they really seem to provide good moisture.

[heynormy]

My hair also felt a little bit dry yesterday, so I did a shea butter/olive oil soak and let me tell you...IT WORKED!! My hair felt and looked really moisturized compared to the dry straw it normally looks like!

[cmnt831]

I like that idea! I'm going to try it.

It's great stuff! I wish I'd known to try it sooner.

Heynormy: Keep at it. If your hair likes it, it makes a huge difference!

[Kaijah]

Try layering moisturizing stuff - I found layering a bit of a heavy conditioner (I use AO Honeysuckle Rose or GVP Conditioning Balm), with a layer of raw shea over it, then a bit of virgin coconut oil on top to really help my ends. It's pretty heavy, lol, but I've found it absorbs incredibly well if I put it on damp hair and then bun or braid.

I'll sometimes rub a teeny bit more shea/coconut oil onto dry ends if they seem dry or fluffy, but doing the above usually keeps my length really happy. :)

[Cinnamon Hair]

I would recommend COing or CWC and damp buns. You can use a mister bottle filled with about 3 table spoons of your favorite conditioner and distilled water to wet your hair on days you don't wash.

[heynormy]

Heynormy: Keep at it. If your hair likes it, it makes a huge difference!

Will do!! It amazed me since my hair is wavy and on the finer side! I thought it might weigh my hair down, but hey..whatever works right!:cheese:

[cmnt831]

Will do!! It amazed me since my hair is wavy and on the finer side! I thought it might weigh my hair down, but hey..whatever works right!:cheese:
I thought the same thing, too, until I tried it. Dh has really fine hair that's wavy/curly and it does fine with it. Yay for stuff that works!

[jaine]

I prefer "Snuggle", that I buy in my local Superbrugsen, because it works best for my hair and because it has a nice smell, but I think that any brand of fabric softener should be able to do the trick. If I have a head ache, I use Neutral instead, because it is scent-free.

I just apply it like I would normally apply conditioner. After shampooing my scalp, I apply fabric softener so that it coats my hair from the ears and down, then rinse it out with water. If I don't rinse it out properply, my scalp gets a bit itchy. It's slightly more tricky than conditioner, because it is fluid and doesn't stick to the hair the way a creamy conditioner does, but it works 100 times better for me :)

I wonder what the ingredients are?

[Anje]

Shea butter conditioning cream is great for dried ends, as is just about any oil + conditioner blend. I've also heard great things about the Panacea stuff that our Nightshade sells on Etsy (her username is Nightblooming there), but haven't tried it myself. Soaking in SMT mix (conditioner, aloe, honey) is also good for dry hair in general, especially followed by a few drops of oil after it's rinsed out.

Finally, give damp bunning a try. Just tuck your ends deep inside a bun made with damp hair and let them sit, 30 minutes or all day. It gives a nice slow infusion of moisture, and it keeps the ends away from the elements where they'll dry out more.

[Dani]

Has no one else noticed the posts about putting liquid fabric softener on hair and scalp?! That seems insane to me. I haven't googled any fabric softener + hair stuff yet (other ppl may do it, idk), but it's obviously made out of who knows what chemicals and is for washing machine use, and since I avoid all chemicals, synthetics and fragrances in anything I use on/in my body and hair, using fabric softener on ones body sounds like an easy and quick trip to the hospital to me. :confused: I mean, I stopped using fabric softener sheets for laundry years ago because of the chemicals in them (even unscented seventh generation ones). Anyway... this is the most shocking to my senses thing I've ever read on here, heh. Especially since there are so many great natural oils, etc, to use on our hair instead! I mean, really? REALLY? :pumpkin:

[HairColoredHair]

Has no one else noticed the posts about putting liquid fabric softener on hair and scalp?! That seems insane to me. I haven't googled any fabric softener + hair stuff yet (other ppl may do it, idk), but it's obviously made out of who knows what chemicals and is for washing machine use, and since I avoid all chemicals, synthetics and fragrances in anything I use on/in my body and hair, using fabric softener on ones body sounds like an easy and quick trip to the hospital to me. :confused: I mean, I stopped using fabric softener sheets for laundry years ago because of the chemicals in them (even unscented seventh generation ones). Anyway... this is the most shocking to my senses thing I've ever read on here, heh. Especially since there are so many great natural oils, etc, to use on our hair instead! I mean, really? REALLY? :pumpkin:

Fabric Softener is basically conditioner for clothes... I'd try it.

[Fairlight63]

I tried Bounce Fabric softner sheets a long time ago for the static in my hair, it helped the static but I didn't like the feel of my hair after- it felt kind of gunky & dirty & felt like I needed to wash it. Maybe it was too heavy for my hair.

[Dani]

You guys should really google it. I'm freaked out that people wouldn't even think twice to use fabric softeners on their bodies. I'm a strict vegan and concerned about what comes into our house - no craptacular fake foods and no chemical-laden products of any sort. And there are many reasons for why I want my life this way, but one of them is that every person that has died in my life has died of some form of cancer from who-knows-what, so I feel like using straight up chemicals that weren't even made for direct contact with a human's body (even though using chemicals that -were- made for bodies isn't that much better, imo) is like just asking to make your body sick in some way.

But most people don't think the way I do. When you're from Seattle or Portland or VBC or any other town where taking care of your health and the environment is such a huge part of how you grow up, you might end up caring about these things.

It is so easy to go down to WF and buy an awesome tub of shea butter and a pot of unrefined coconut oil. They last a long time, too. :D

[deko]

I'm a hennahead.

I mix 1:1 aloe vera gel and jojoba oil to my ends and they love it. Plain oil leaves my ends ropey, but ale+oil mix added to towel dry hair does wonders.

[Katurday]

I have continually dry ends. Other than trimming to remove my velcro splits, I use virgin coconut oil with great success. It smells GODLY, and even though the suggestions are to use around a nail scrape-full, I use about twice that for my coarse iii straight hair with no greasyness. I use it on wet hair.

[HairColoredHair]

It is so easy to go down to WF and buy an awesome tub of shea butter and a pot of unrefined coconut oil. They last a long time, too. :D

Yes... in areas with WFs, of course....

[Sissy]

I've also heard great things about the Panacea stuff that our Nightshade sells on Etsy (her username is Nightblooming there), but haven't tried it myself.

I've used it before and it's a wonderful product. I love Nightbloomings Panacea Hair Salve. The smell of it is amazing!